Drake_Marcus

Bingo. I have no problem with them reporting a sell out regardless of attendance because "sell out" only means all the tickets have been sold. Having a building at full attendance would require double-selling seats and whatnot. I'm fairly sure people would not appreciate showing up 30 mins late for the game because of traffic or kids only to be told their seat was resold and asked to leave. You're just used to seeing Leafs games full of rabid fans because Leaf tickets are harder to find than heterosexual male hairdressers. (although the undying need to attend Leaf games may have helped contribute to the lack of drive to improve the team on the part of the management cabal)

The team killed penalties really well yesterday because they did so with a sense of urgency. When this team is motivated to do well from the start of the game they can play Red Wings hockey.

It's was well known at the time when Franzen signed his original extension that his agent was playing real hardball and made it absolute hell to get a checking line player with little to no offensive upside signed for $900k. I assure you that he didn't have a crystal ball that told him of Mule's future goal scoring prowess. No one knew he was capable of that- hell the last time he was known for scoring was in his early teens. I wouldn't call his agent 'money grubbing' but reports coming from the negotiations frequently alluded to or spoke directly of how difficult it was to get Franzen for that number. And Franzen's contract was certainly not a hometown discount based on the situation when it was signed.

If that means we let Hudler go to keep Filppula then yeah, I'll be pissed. 3 million $ is way too much to pay a 3rd line centre used in a shut-down role. Cleary and Fippula add up to $5.8 million for a pair of pk specialists with offensive ability. That'd be fine if we weren't looking at a front-loaded team that spends 18.7 million $ on three two-way offensive dynamos. At this point we stand to lose more in the long run by keeping Filppula around at 3 million $ waiting for his role to be given to him. But let's put that alllll aside, ok? Let's assume Filppula and Hudler both make $1 a year and one has to go for some other reason. They're both the same age and both great players. One has a ton more offensive upside than the other and the other guy has a ton more defensive upside and speed. How do you chose which one to let go? You have to think about which one is easier to replace. Hudler: Mid to high end offensive player (high end being the upside). Comparable prospects in the Wings system that are ready to go in the next 2 years: Zero. Val: Two way forward with speed and a little bit of offensive upside. Comparable prospects in the Wings system that are ready to go in the next 2 years: Four.

Double post. Sorry.

I have to assume you're basing that equation on height. Otherwise it's retarded.

Uggg 12/21 will not help me climb back up the charts!

Hossa would sign a deal identical to Zetterberg's. He's hinted at it in interviews since the Z signing and frankly, he can't argue he's worth more to this team than the Conn winner. Well he can, but he can't do so very convincingly. I can say this, however, if it comes down to Hudler or Filppula the Wings will take the player who's done more with the minutes he's been given. Sorry Fil... I don't want you to go dude, but Hudler is simply a more valuable asset. Oh, and Franzen will be almost impossible to sign for under $5million. This is likely his last and only chance at a big payday. Hossa's had those since day one. One player is looking to get the bank he'll be living off of in 40 years and the other already has that set aside and is looking for a quality enviroment where he can thrive for the rest of his career. The simply facts of life favour a Hossa signing. But hell- I'm mostly basing my doubt about Mule's signing because his agent is an absolute jackel.

Three- he also won 'best hair' his first year at the all-star.

Ohlund would look great in a Wings uni, but like the rest have said- there are too many d-men on the books to justify adding another. Plus we know Ohlund is looking for a huuuugggge payday in July. In a few weeks when Ericsson is healthy he'll be brought up and given a ton of minutes to evaluate his play for the playoffs. It seems like each of the black aces are going to get a call-up for those purposes.

Heh... yeah I guess I read it the opposite way. I just bristle whenever someone talks trash about Feds I should've known better than to doubt NN.

I'm actually really impressed with Schenn. He looks like a veteran d-man out there and he's a rookie. He stands up really well against veteran forwards, which is very impressive for a rookie defenseman. And he's got good offensive instincts. That pinch today was a great read. He would look even better on a team that wasn't stocked with AHL quality players. It's damn impressive when you can step onto a team as a rookie d-man and be their best defensive player, even if they are the Leafs.

Are you kidding? This is the same sort of drivel we here when we're told Crosby, Malkin et al are getting better defensively. It's simply ridiculous. Becoming slightly better than horrible isn't impressive- it's expected. Green is a fantastic offensive defenseman but he's absolutely brutal in his own zone. That's me watching his play in the 08-09 season, not last season.

Yeahhh... right. The guy who was the third highest playoff point getter in all of the nineties? The one that holds a record for most consecutive 20pt playoff runs? Fedorov was better in the playoffs.

It's definitely 12:30. The NBC contract was only recently signed. Part of the understanding was that specific showcase games would be moved to more NBC friendly times. Hence the originally scheduled time (3:00pm) being posted on some sites that apparently haven't been updated yet. Stick with NBC's quoted time.

Agreed Norris. Anyone who underestimates how valuable Hudler is to this team is absolutely nuts. Hudler is this team's offensive depth. He's also 24 and has improved every season since joining the team. This kid is the real deal. Holland knows that and I really don't see Hudler leaving the Wings unless it means he got a huge offer sheet and the Wings walked off with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Yes. He always skates to the front of the net as a screen when a point shot is coming in. He's done it frequently in the last 3 games and he's done it a few times in GR too Leino wasn't the Finnish highest-tier-league MVP by accident. I'm sure the Wings management knows this and plans on signing him ASAP. Remember- Leino is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. RFAs are less likely to bolt on a team since the Wings have the right to match any offer and once the offers get unreasonable the Wings will end up with at least a 1st rounder for him. That's essentially a free first rounder since Leino was signed as a free agent last year. Of course no one wants to lose this guy, I'm just saying that it's almost a win-win, even if the second win is a crappy one for us.

If there's anyone listening to my prayers then yes

Yeah- no one lives in Vegas 365 days a year. Vegas is an effing huge city with an incredible number of transplats. The tourists/Casino comp packages just ensure there's always sell outs. Having a 41 game a year sell out franchise can only HELP the NHL and the sport. I don't care if it's in Vegas or Halifax (my home town). There is no NHL, NBA, MLB or NFL franchise in Vegas. I assure you- the first one there will flourish. f*** snow. I live in the maritimes- we're fricking hockey nuts here, but I'm not dilluted enough to believe that means it makes business sense to move a franchise here over somewhere with millions of people and an absolutely massive cooperate structure that is completely untapped in terms of major sport franchises.

Yeahhh because apparently the Republicans raping your country without lube for 8 long, painful years isn't reason enough to vote for a Dem, regardless of the fact that the Dem in question is the single most intelligent, progressive person to run for office in the last 20 years. How the hell can a Republican argue with anyone about interpreting the meaning from a piece of writing when their party actively molests the constitution and proudly trumpets ignorance and stupidity at every opportunity?

Actually I have to say that makes 100% sense. Houston is a fantastic city to begin with, add the Dallas rivalry in and you've got a winning formula. Texans do love their sports...

Unfortunately it's true. Winnipeg had plenty of opportunities to keep the Jets. I really don't see the current financial situation as being favourable to changing that. I'd put the team in Vegas. At least in Vegas the team would sell out every damn game. And for the record- anyone who yaps about hockey not belonging in the south needs to just shut up at this point. There are plenty of teams struggling in traditional markets and plenty of teams thriving in non-traditional markets. It's 2009, not 1809... the concept of Hockey belonging only to persons who live in an area with sub-zero winters is quaint at best.

That's the crux of it. Goaltending isn't a career for persons with anything but a solid emotional foundation. Legace is actually capable of being an excellent goalie when his emotions aren't clouding his play. He's kind of the opposite of Osgood in that sense. Ozzy has a clear head that some might argue is his greatest strength. Emotions seem to be Legace's Achilles Heel. I definitely empathize with the guy... no one gets to chose their psychological predisposition. He would really benefit from some form of counseling.

Losing Holmstrom opens up a top six spot. At this point that's invaluable for the RW management because it gives them evaluation time to figure out who is best suited to be brought up next season when we lose 2 forwards.

This is a good thing. He really was in bad pain durring the playoffs and it certainly hurt his play. Getting him in for surgery now saves the team in the long run. 10 games after the surgery is plenty of time to get back into sync. Hopefully everything goes well and the surgery fixes his problems and gets him back on the ice at 100% come playoff time. Plus this gives the team a long term gap to place a forward prospect in (Leino is the perfect choice since it's a top 6 spot).